Over 200 mayors, government representatives, developers and urban planners participated in this conference organised annually with the support of the URBAN Intergroup. This year, the participants discussed about current issues related to the city space management such as information infrastructure or economic, demographic and climate changes that influence the development of cities.

The study visit organised in cooperation with IBM and IDA focused on the model for smarter cities showed on the example of Singapore. The aim was to see successful deployment of digital technologies in various areas of urban life that help making cities attractive places for people and business. The participants visited several projects and met a number of government agencies creating smarter urban systems in Singapore.

The event hosted by the URBAN Intergroup was jointly organised with the network METREX and in cooperation with EUROCITIES and PURPLE. The conference focused on better territorial cohesion. The participants agreed that good metropolitan governance, integrating the urban and rural areas, may be seen as a prerequisite for territorial cohesion. During the conference, city managers from Amsterdam, Helsinki Region, Lille Métropole, Verband Region Stuttgart, Metropolregion Hamburg and Warsaw presented case studies picturing efficient metropolitan governance.

The URBAN Intergroup organised with the European Forum for Architectural Policies a conference to discuss new creative approaches to the architecture in metropolitan areas and the role of the different levels of government in this process. “Sustainable cities won’t happen by accident. If we want to secure a new livable urbanity, the EU must take responsibility” argued Rob Docter, President of EFAP, closing the conference after a fruitful discussion with architects and local dissidents.

9 December 2010

Midterm review of the use of structural funds for energy efficiency in existing housing – Brussels, December 9th, 2010 – organised by Karima Delli

The objective of the meeting organised by the URBAN Intergroup on the initiative of Karima Delli was to identify the success factors and the obstacles of the EU funded projects aiming at improving the energy efficiency in housing. The conference provided a first overview of the situation in EU member states and showed that many actors are using effectively the funds available for this purpose from the European Regional Development Fund.